F1 Community salutes Jenson Button

The world of Formula 1 has paid tribute to Brawn GP's Jenson Button as the Englishman won the 2009 world drivers' championship in Brazil.
Button started from 14th on the Interlagos grid and weaved his way through the field with a scintillating drive to finish fifth in Sao Paulo.
He now has an unassailable 15-point advantage going into the season's final race in Abu Dhabi on 1 November.
Button also helped his Brawn GP team to become the first Formula 1 team to win the constructors' championship in their debut season.



Former F1 driver and BBC pundit David Coulthard:
"Anyone who doubts he's worthy of being world champion just needs to watch that. It was an attacking drive, a really great drive."



Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello:
"I am pleased for Jenson, as a friend, and as a great champion, and if I didn't win, he should have won it, so well done to him.
"Jenson deserved to do it, but he won it on the first six races, and I think the second half of the championship was mine.
"It is a hell of a team that deserves to win and we will have a great night tonight. I feel part of this, especially the constructors' championship."
Brawn GP team principal Ross Brawn: "Jenson's drive today was the the drive of a world champion."
"He's a fantastic racer. Today he had a great race; he knew what he had to do."
"We've lost a little bit of pace in the car over the last few races and he's stuck with it and he's deserved everything he's got."



Red Bull driver Mark Webber:
"JB is such a consistent driver and, unfortunately for us, this year he was also blisteringly quick at the start of the year as well, and he got the results.
"Brawn and Button came out running really well at the start of the season, he was on top of the car and that is where he put a big hit into the championship.
"We pushed hard and other teams arrived in the middle and the back end of the season, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen in particular, which made it hard for him to close the deal. But he is a deserved champion."



McLaren's 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton:
"Big congratulations to Jenson, I have to say incredible job to him and I am really happy for him and his family.
"I can't take anything away from Jenson he did the better job this year, but I plan on taking it back at some stage, who knows when, but I really hope that we can give it a good challenge next year from the start."



BBC Formula 1 pundit Eddie Jordan:
"Why should we not be in total homage to Jenson Button?"
"He has the most points and he did that before the end of the season with a race to go, he is a totally deserving world champion, never in question."
Formula 1 legend and three-time world champion Niki Lauda: "When you are world champion there is nothing to criticise. He is one of the world champions now and he did a perfect job.
"He was very conservative in the middle of the season, trying to protect his lead, and he did manage to protect it.
"He drove a really aggressive perfect race in Brazil, so he can do both sides. You have a really good world champion back in England again."



Jenson's mother Simone Lyons:
"I'm just cried out! I was just crying and sobbing as he was crossing the line, and those last three laps were the longest ever. I always believed he'd do it and I expect he did as well because he knows the effort he puts into it."



Prime Minister Gordon Brown:
"I want to send my warmest congratulations to Jenson Button for clinching the Formula 1 drivers' championship today in Brazil, on the same circuit that Lewis Hamilton won the drivers' championship last year.
"We can be proud that Jenson is the 10th British driver to win the title.
"His performances over the season with the new Brawn team have excited Formula 1 fans in Britain and across the world, and we look forward to his continuing success in the seasons ahead."



Sir Jackie Stewart, three-time F1 world champion:
"I know the feeling, and to win your first world championship is always a bigger thrill."
"He came through the field magically actually. I mean, he picked up nine places, there were a few accidents that helped him on his way, but he got through those without a scratch and without damaging the car.
"I'm thrilled for him because it's the first time in 40 years that we've had a British champion back-to-back, first Lewis Hamilton and now Jenson Button. It's great."



Brawn GP chief executive Nick Fry:
"As the chief executive I have to do the tough job of contract negotiating and I think Jenson's share price has gone up a bit today. He is making my life even more difficult!"



BBC F1 analyst and former driver Martin Brundle:
"Jenson answered any critics he might have without any doubt with that drive today. He is the world champion with one race to spare.
"It's a bit of a British thing, we like to knock ourselves, but we should pump ourselves up a little bit. Jenson Button is a very worthy world champion."



Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP race engineer Jock Clear:
"It is all about Jenson Button, and what he did on the track today.
"Everyone complains about not enough overtaking, but Jenson won a championship by overtaking today, and that's what we all want to see.
"It was a brilliant, brilliant drive from him. I take my hat off to him."

BBC.com

Vettel wins Japanese GP to boost F1 hopes

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel led from start to finish to win Formula One's Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, reviving his championship hopes.
Vettel finished ahead of Toyota's Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton.

Driver's championship leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP was eighth, a place below teammate Rubens Barrichello.
Brawn GP all but sealed the constructors' championship. Only a one-two finish by Red Bull in both the remaining races and Brawn finishing pointless can prevent a Brawn championship in its first season.
A post-race stewards hearing had the potential to seal the constructors' title, but fifth-place finisher Nico Rosberg was cleared of charges that he did not slow when yellow flags were waved after a late crash. Had he been demoted or disqualified, the Brawn GP cars would have had enough points for the title.
In the drivers' championship, Button's lead over Barrichello was cut by one point to 14, with Vettel just two points further back.
"It can still be done and its looking much better now," Vettel said of his chances in the championship. "Shame there's only two races to go, but that's life. Anything is still possible and it can change quickly."
It was Vettel's third win of the season, and first since the British Grand Prix in June. The German started from pole position and got a strong start to keep the KERS-power boost cars behind him.
He had built a 12.5-second buffer over Trulli before the late emergence of the safety car following a spectacular crash by Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari, who crashed through a trackside advertising board into a tire wall.
Even with the running order compacted, Vettel emerged strongly when the safety car was removed, and his victory was not threatened.
Trulli started second but was overtaken into the first corner by Hamilton, with the aid of the KERS-power boost in his McLaren.
However Trulli stuck behind Hamilton and after his second pitstop, emerged in front of the McLaren, which had lost a malfunctioning KERS system shortly beforehand.
Toyota has finished second in successive races, but still has not broken through for its first F1 win, meaning Trulli was less than exuberant when he climbed from the car, even as Japanese fans reveled in Toyota's strong showing.
"I am happy to be on the podium, but I have had many podiums," Trulli said. "What we are missing at the moment is a win."

Button's eighth place came under threat in the four-lap dash to the finish after the safety car went in, but he defended well to hold off BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica.
Button has not won in eight races, but has collected points in each and still remains in a strong position to clinch the drivers' title in either Brazil or the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Still, the Briton will be mindful that compatriot Hamilton led by 17 points with two races to go in 2007 and still did not take the title — something Vettel reminded him of post-race.
"Everyone said to Lewis it would not be a problem, sitting in one of the most competitive cars, just get a couple of points," Vettel said. "But as we can see, sometimes things don't go your way."
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished in fourth place, ahead of Rosberg and BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld.

Barichello wins Italian GP.

Button back as Barrichello wins

Rubens Barrichello headed Jenson Button to a Brawn one-two in a tense Italian Grand Prix as the Englishman scored his first podium finish in six races.
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who started on pole but was beaten on strategy, lost third place when he crashed on the last lap trying to chase down Button.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen took the place ahead of Force India's Adrian Sutil.
Brawn's title rivals Red Bull had a bad day as Mark Webber crashed on the first lap while Sebastian Vettel was eighth.
Button has had his championship lead cut by two points to 14 from second-placed Barrichello, while Vettel sits 12 points behind the Brazilian with Webber 2.5 points behind his team-mate in fourth.
Forty points remain available with four races remaining.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso pushed hard throughout the race to finish fifth, just ahead of McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen.

After starting back in 15th, Nick Heidfeld did well to score two points for struggling BMW Sauber with a seventh place.
Hamilton was eventually classified in 12th after crashing out on the exit kerb of the first Lesmo on the last lap having been breathing down Button's neck for the final third of the race as he desperately tried to get in a position to overtake his compatriot.
The 13th grand prix of 2009 was a tale of two races within a race - pole-sitter Hamilton trying to gain enough time to stay ahead of the Brawns knowing he needed to stop twice, while they competed against each other while making sure to keep Hamilton at bay.
In-form Barrichello - who claimed his second win in three races - made a brilliant start, jumping into fourth from fifth as Kovalainen slipped down the field before consolidating that with an aggressive first lap.
That period was also critical for Button who produced a clever manoeuvre on Kovalainen, whom he overtook on the inside of the second Lesmo to put him back in a position to challenge for a win throughout the rest of the race.

Seven out of last 10 Italian Grands Prix have been won from pole position but, while Hamilton opened up a decent gap before his first stop of the race using his Kers power-boost button on the long straights, the Brawns stayed in touch as they ran solidly in fourth and fifth place.
Hamilton's car did not ultimately have the pace of the Brawns whose strategy - fuelling heavier in qualifying to use just one stop in the race itself - proved to be a shrewd move.
When he made his quick second pit stop on lap 34 he came out behind Button still in contention, with Barrichello leading, but - despite making up four tenths of a second on the championship leader during some laps - he could not get close enough.
The veteran Brazilian, meanwhile, was firmly in control in the latter stages with a relatively safe gap between himself and Button - while his decision to stick with an engine which had briefly caught fire at the last race in Belgium was fully vindicated.
"It feels great. I have no words," he said.
"I had a tough night, we didn't know if the gearbox would be OK and there are some concerns. But it should last

"It was great to have such a good start. The first lap made my race. There will be times when we don't have to worry about the Kers [energy power-boost button] cars, but with the straight lines here you do."
The championship battle now looks to be a two-man battle between two team-mates - a rare thing in a sport where one driver is usually favoured over the over as the season pans out - after a poor race seemed to blow any title hopes for struggling Red Bull.
Webber, who started 10th, went off at the Della Roggia turn after tangling with BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica in what the Australian described as a 'racing incident' - meaning it was not the Pole's fault as he was genuinely challenging for position.
"This gives my championship chances a blow, for sure," said Webber. "I haven't scored points in three races, though this is my first DNF of the season.
"We've still had a great middle run in the championship but we need to bounce back from this. We need to finish the season as strongly as we can but it's been a tough period for us."

Button's finish, with clinched Brawn's fourth one-two of the year, was a decent response to critics who have been constantly questioning whether he has been struggling to deal with the pressure of leading the championship after a relatively barren recent run.
"It's nice to be back up here," he said.
"I'd like to be where Rubens is sat but he did a better job today. I've lost two points to Rubens but gained seven on Vettel.
"We're going to take it I'm sure right down to the wire...for me it was a great result."
German driver Sutil collected his first points of the season by finishing fourth while also handing increasingly-impressive Force India a consecutive second place over the past two races.

Could Kimi make a shock return to McLaren?

With the political rows that have dominated this Formula 1 season more or less over apart from a few late skirmishes, attention in Valencia has turned to the driver market.

The key move this season is Fernando Alonso's prospective switch to Ferrari. This has not been officially confirmed yet, but it is considered a given. And it will trigger a series of swaps that will significantly change the look of the F1 grid next season.
Among the top teams, only Red Bull are not changing their line-up and there are attractive seats available at Ferrari, McLaren and Brawn.
In the wake of Alonso's move, the key men in the market place are Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica.

Assuming Jenson Button stays at Brawn - which is not 100% certain, but looks very likely - they are the A-listers who will be top of most teams' shopping list.
The driver market is always complicated - but the injury suffered by Felipe Massa has made it more Byzantine than usual this summer.
Ferrari have actually got themselves into a bit of a pickle. Alonso's arrival means they have three of the top drivers in F1 for next season and only two cars to put them in, as both Felipe Massa and Raikkonen are under contract until the end of 2010.
They intended to partner Alonso with Massa, but the Brazilian has a fractured skull following his accident in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Although he is expected to make a full recovery, in terms of living a normal life, it is impossible to know right now whether he will be able to race in F1 again, even if Brawn driver Rubens Barrichello and Massa's race engineer Rob Smedley, probably the two people closest to him in the paddock, are optimistic.
Massa is talking about an emotional return for the Brazilian Grand Prix in October, but many feel that may well be over-optimistic, even allowing for the traditionally astonishing powers of recovery of F1 drivers.
And if Massa cannot drive until after the end of the season - which means he might not be able to do so until January, because of the testing restrictions in December - that makes getting rid of Raikkonen less immediately appealing.
Despite that, it does appear that the Finn will be the one to leave Ferrari, for whom one solution would be to gamble on Massa being fit and, if he isn't, take one of the experienced drivers who may be left standing after the game of musical chairs finishes.
Jarno Trulli looks certain to leave Toyota - whose entire future in F1 may be in doubt - and the futures of Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella and Nick Heidfeld are all up in the air. All would make a more than decent one-year stand-in.
In that eventuality, the question is where Raikkonen will end up.
There are a number of interesting possibilities. His advisors are known to have had talks with Brawn, which interests him, and Toyota, which does not. And another obvious possibility is Renault, who need a top-liner to replace Alonso.
And there is one intriguing possibility that I have not heard discussed on the paddock rumour mill - could Raikkonen make a shock return to McLaren?

It comes a bit out of left-field and might seem outlandish, but bear with me on it for a moment.
Lewis Hamilton is locked in there until 2012, but the second seat is open. Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen is under pressure because of his unconvincing performances in races and there has been talk of Nico Rosberg moving over from Williams.
But, if you were McLaren, why replace one guy who is not as quick as Hamilton with, in Rosberg, another who isn't either but might be more disruptive?
Raikkonen, on the other hand, is well known by McLaren having driven for them from 2002-6, and he is low maintenance - he just gets in the car and drives and couldn't care less who his team-mate is.
Rosberg is known to be wary of facing Hamilton in the same car - he was his team-mate in karting and knows how quick he is - and Kubica has a reputation as hard work and demanding.
Raikkonen is the total opposite. He would not be bothered about the team's focus on Hamilton. He would just do his job and go home - just like he always has.
Not only that, but he left McLaren largely because he fell out with Ron Dennis, but the former boss has no involvement in the F1 team any more.
So a fresh link with Raikkonen could be an appealing idea for McLaren - and vice versa.
And read this quote from team boss Martin Whitmarsh after Sunday's European Grand Prix: "Kimi's really raised his game and all weekend has done a great job and Heikki has always been a fantastic team player and a good asset in our team but his race pace hasn't been good enough."
Of course, all of that might be hugely wide of the mark, in which case Raikkonen will probably end up at Brawn or Renault - at both of which Kubica must be considered a contender.
The Pole has been strongly linked with a move to Williams following BMW's decision to quit F1. But this weekend he has opened negotiations with Brawn, which would surely be a more appealing option considering the two teams' respective performance this season.

It is a difficult decision for Brawn. Given that Raikkonen has been a little off the boil in the last couple of seasons, Kubica is arguably the best driver on the market this season.
But he has a reputation for being disruptive inside a team and Ross Brawn might prefer not to disturb the equanimity of Button, the man who still looks likely to be world champion this year.
On top of that, Kubica is understood to want a one-year contract so he has the ability to move on for 2011 if a better drive becomes available, while Brawn would almost certainly want him to sign for two seasons.Traditionally, early September is the time the big pieces in the driver market puzzle begin to fall into place. But given the inherent complications, this season it could be a good deal later than that.

Andrew Benson

Victory for Raikkonen, glory for Fisichella at Spa-Francorchamps

Kimi Raikkonen became the sixth different victor in six races after putting Ferrari back in the winners’ circle for the first time in 2009, with a finely judged success in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix, in which his KERS system played a crucial role in the opening stages. But he was dogged all the way to the flag by a gallant Giancarlo Fisichella in the Force India, who kept him honest throughout on the first medium downforce circuit of the season.

Behind them, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel drove strongly for third, closing on them both by the finish. Raikkonen crossed the finish line 0.9s ahead, with Vettel 2.9s behind Fisichella.

Jenson Button’s hopes of adding to his points tally in the Brawn GP ended at Les Combes on the first lap when he was spun out by Romain Grosjean’s Renault, while in a separate incident Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren tagged Jaime Alguersuari’s Toro Rosso while trying to avoid the melee. The two incidents are currently under investigation by the race stewards.

After a safety car intervention, Raikkonen, who had sped up to second behind Fisichella on the opening lap, lost no time using his KERS to slingshot by the Italian on the run up Raidillon to Les Combes on the fifth lap, but Fisichella pushed him all the way.Red Bull’s Mark Webber looked strong initially until an unsafe release from his first pit stop nearly put rival BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld in the pit-lane wall. A drive-through penalty subsequently dropped him to ninth.Renault’s Fernando Alonso also seemed on course for a healthy helping of points after running the longest opening stint, but a brush with Force India’s Adrian Sutil in La Source on the opening lap had damaged the left front wheel, and after a disastrously long pit stop on Lap 24 he had to come in again to retire a lap later when the left front wheel could not be secured satisfactorily.

Vettel was able to vault past a fast-starting Robert Kubica after his second stop on the 35th lap and said his Red Bull was perfect thereafter, but the Pole brought his BMW Sauber home fourth ahead of closing team mate Heidfeld. The German has passed Toyota’s Jarno Trulli for second at the start but ran wide and lost ground, allowing Kubica to nip down the inside to run third initially.Heikki Kovalainen did a one-stop strategy in his McLaren to stay ahead of Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello for sixth place. The Brazilian, who bogged down off the grid, was saved to an extent by the intervention of the safety car which enabled Brawn to refuel him for a longer opening stint in a fast first-lap pit stop, but had to back off at the end when his Mercedes engine showed signs of failing. He just made it to the flag ahead of a closing Nico Rosberg, who drove yet another strong race for Williams to score the final point, while Webber just missed out with ninth after a frustrating race.Toyota’s Timo Glock had a fuel rig problem in his first stop which delayed him, and could not better 10th, under pressure at the end from Force India’s Sutil. Behind them Sebastien Buemi brought his Toro Rosso home 12th ahead of Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima and an unimpressive Luca Badoer, who was the last finisher for Ferrari.

Besides Alonso and the first lap crashers, the other retirement was Trulli, whose front wing was damaged when he made contact with Heidfeld's BMW Sauber on the opening lap. That ruined the Italian’s race, as did a later refuelling problem, similar to Glock’s. He ultimately retired with a brake problem.

In the title stakes, Barrichello took two more points off Button, who still has 74 to the Brazilian’s 56. Vettel moves back ahead of Webber with 53 to the Australian’s 51.5.In the constructors’ championship Brawn have 128 points, Red Bull 104.5, Ferrari 56 and McLaren 44.

Barrichello Wins European Grand Prix in Valencia

Brawn's Rubens Barrichello beat McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to win the European Grand Prix after the world champion suffered a pit-lane mix-up.
Hamilton, who led from the start, was engaged in a tight battle with Barrichello when he was delayed at his final pit stop because his tyres were not ready.
But the mix-up did not cost him the race - an analysis of lap times suggests Barrichello would have beaten him anyway.
Jenson Button was seventh and team-mate Barrichello is now his closest title rival.
The Brazilian's victory puts him 18 points adrift of the Englishman with 60 remaining in the final six races of the season.
Red Bull's Mark Webber slipped to third in the championship 20.5 points behind Button, after finishing only ninth. His team-mate Sebastian Vettel, lying fourth, failed to finish following an engine failure.

Kimi Raikkonen finished third for Ferrari, ahead of Hamilton's team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, with Williams's Nico Rosberg fifth from Renault's Fernando Alonso, Button and the improved BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica.
Barrichello dedicated his victory to fellow Brazilian Felipe Massa, who is recovering at home after suffering a fractured skull in a crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
"I had two wishes," Barrichello said, "first that he would be the same guy, and he is, and second that he will be the same driver, and I think he will be better.
"We knew if everything went to place we could win the race. You don't forget how to do it, even though it's five years.
"They were telling me push, push, push. You want to do it for yourself, your team, your family, your country. So there was a lot going through my mind."
Barrichello was third on the grid behind Hamilton and Kovalainen, but was fastest of all on fuel-corrected qualifying times.
He held on to third place off the start and settled in behind the McLarens for the duration of the first stint.
He stayed within touching distance of Kovalainen and leapfrogged the Finn by using his larger fuel load to stop three laps later, during which time he set a succession of fast lap times.
Once the field had settled down after the stops, Barrichello was slightly more than three seconds adrift of Hamilton and the gap see-sawed between three and four seconds until Hamilton's final pit stop on lap 37.
The McLaren pit wall were late in asking their mechanics to bring Hamilton's tyres into the pit lane, and that delayed the world champion by about five seconds.

He was just over six seconds clear by the time the two cars emerged from the pits - meaning he had made up four seconds on Hamilton on the track, slightly more than his deficit to the McLaren when it made its stop.
And Brawn brought Barichello in four laps earlier than necessary as soon as it became apparent he had enough of an advantage to make a stop and still retain the lead.
McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh said: "It was clear we weren't as quick in the race as we should have been.
"Rubens was quite a bit quicker than us and we were tying to get an extra lap. That made our call late and we didn't get the tyres out in time.
"We were monitoring the fuel, he was meant to come in on lap 37 and were trying to get him to come in on lap 38, but we didn't have quite enough.
"To have a car arrive and not have the tyres there is an operational error. But had the tyres been ready it wouldn't have made a difference. It only cost us a couple of seconds."
Hamilton said: "We win and we lose together. We had a tremendous effort to get us here so we cannot at all take second place for granted or be disappointed we didn't get the win because we've had extraordinary pace and it was a tremendous effort from everyone.
"These things happen. I've had so many races for this team and this hardly ever happens. It's only the second time, I think. We need to catch these guys up because I believe they are a little but quicker than us but we're pushing all the time."
Button qualified fifth - two places behind his team-mate - on a weekend when the Brawns returned to form. But he slipped down to ninth after a messy first lap.
The Englishman spent the middle part of the race trying to pass Webber, a feat he finally managed during the second and final pit stop period.

Webber lost eighth place to the improved BMW Sauber of Robert Kubica after getting stuck behind slower cars on the lap before his stop and then suffering a slight delay in the pits.
Once clear of the traffic he had got himself stuck behind, Button set a series of fastest laps in the final stages of the race as he attempted to chase down Alonso.
He will nevertheless be encouraged by his pace here - but well aware that he does not know whether Brawn have solved the problems that prevented them from being competitive in the cooler conditions of the preceding three races.
Button will now be anxious to see whether the changes Brawn are planning to improve their performance in cooler conditions than the stifling heat of Valencia work at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps in the Ardennes mountains next weekend.

By Andrew Benson BBC Sport in Valencia

Week-end Formula 1 News

The Australian Grand Prix will likely be scrapped if leading teams form a breakaway Formula 1 series next year, Australian F1 race chief Ron Walker said on Friday.
Uncertainty continues to surround the future direction of the sport after the eight-member Formula One Teams Association (Fota), including Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes, walked out of a meeting with motor racing's governing body in Paris this week and revived their threat to form a breakaway series.
Walker said he would advise the Victorian state government, which backs the race, to cancel the event should F1's leading teams carry out their threat."The Grand Prix board would probably say to the (Victorian) Premier it's too hard," Walker told a radio station on Friday. "
You can just imagine if the likes of (Roger) Federer and other major tennis players didn't turn up to the Australian Open in January or if some of the best horses didn't come to the Melbourne Cup."
Melbourne has an agreement to run the event until 2015 under a five-year licence extension signed last year

On another note, defending drivers' world champion Lewis Hamilton clocked the fastest time in Friday afternoon's second free practice session ahead of Sunday's German Grand Prix.It was the third time in this disappointing season - for him - that the 24-year-old had been quickest on the opening day in his McLaren Mercedes, having been fastest previously on Friday in Bahrain and China.Cynics, however, may suggest that with his McLaren team-mate Finn Heikki Kovalainen struggling in 17th place on a cool, wet day, Hamilton was running very light on fuel to please the fans sitting in the Mercedes-Benz grandstand.
The Briton clocked a best time of 1min 32.149sec with 6 minutes of the 90 remaining to ease clear of nearest rival German Sebastian Vettel, in his Red Bull, by 0.2sec.Championship leader Jenson Button of Britain was third for Brawn GP, ahead of Australian Mark Webber, in the second Red Bull, with Italian Jarno Trulli fifth for Toyota and German Adrian Sutil sixth for Force India. Button's Brawn team-mate Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello was seventh ahead of two-time champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault.

Alonso trades Renault in for Ferrari, say press reports

Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso is planning to switch from Renault to Ferrari next season, Spanish sports newspapers Marca and AS reported yesterday.Negotiations about the Spanish driver's transfer are close to completion and could become official at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from Sept 11-13, according to the reports which were echoed by Italian media.
The 27-year-old Spaniard won the driver's championships in 2005 and 2006 for Renault and is under contract with the French manufacturer until the end of next year, but with a get-out clause which he can activate earlier.
Alonso, currently ninth in the driver's championship table, has expressed dissatisfaction with Renault's under-performing R29 model, even though engineers say radical improvements are on the way.
Ferrari are believed to be less than happy with Kimi Raikkonen, currently 10th in the table, and could be keen on the idea of Alonso partnering Felipe Massa. But the Italian firm would find it very expensive to buy the Finn out of his cast-iron contract.
According to the Spanish reports, Alonso has secured the backing of Spanish financial giant Banco de Santander to get a five-year deal with Ferrari.

The Mole brings you... Lee McKenzie at Goodwood

From The Mole @ BBC

The Mole welcomes BBC F1 pit-lane reporter Lee McKenzie back on to the blog, to discuss her experiences at the Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend.
What a special weekend the Goodwood Festival of Speed is. It has become an institution in the British motorsport calendar since it was founded by Lord March in 1993 and this year's event, which took place over the weekend, continued the tradition.
The Festival features hundreds of cars - some of the most expensive, the fastest, the most memorable and the strangest in the world. That also goes for bikes, and in some cases drivers, too!
Goodwood is much more than just an event. It is a complete celebration of all things motorsport and I absolutely love it. Nowhere else in the world can the public get so close to the cars and, of course, the drivers.
There are no motorhomes or closed-off paddocks, and not many places for them to hide. And the Drivers' Club, which is where they head for food and drinks, really was a who's who last weekend.
As I walked in I met the always charming Murray Walker, strolled past Sir Stirling Moss and in one quick glance could see multiple world rally champion Sebastien Loeb, Le Mans winner Allan McNish, five-time Grand Prix bike champion Mick Doohan, Ayrton Senna's nephew Bruno Senna and the very first man to spray champagne after winning a race, 1960s Formula 1 legend Dan Gurney.

Stirling Moss in the 1954 Mercedes W154

On Sunday, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton came along to drive the hill and entertain the crowds, joining a number of other current F1 drivers who attended over the weekend - including Red Bull's Mark Webber, Williams's Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota's Timo Glock.

Championship leader Jenson Button was one of many F1 drivers at the Festival.. ... and drove the 1934 Mercedes W25 Grand Prix car

Without fail, the drivers find enthusiasm for Goodwood is contagious. Glock was so excited by the whole event and so disappointed when he discovered he could only drive up the hill twice a day in his F1 car that asked if he could drive the Toyota Corolla World Rally Car on the forest stages - which he did and loved. That makes a third rally convert in the F1 paddock - between him, Kimi Raikkonen and Robert Kubica, there will be no drivers left in F1 at this rate!
One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing the McLaren-Honda MP4/4 in which Ayrton Senna won his first world title being driven up the hill, with the great Brazilian's nephew Bruno at the wheel. The same helmet, same colours, same driving style - it was quite spooky.
There were plenty of celebrations, too - 100 years of Audi (former F1 driver Jacky Ickx drove a 1939 Auto Union); 75 years since the arrival of the Mercedes Silver Arrows. And Sir Frank Williams's 40 years of F1 were marked by a collection of the team's cars and drivers, past and present. The 1980 world champion Alan Jones got back behind the wheel as did Jacques Laffite and David Coulthard. Current Williams reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg drove Keke Rosberg's1982 championship-winning FW08, slightly concerned about both having to change gears and the H-shape gearbox as he negotiated the hill.

Former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine drives Gilles Villeneuve's 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 at Goodwood

But Goodwood was looking forward as well as back over the weekend. Racing car constructor Lola had a car running on bio-fuel made from carrots and potatoes - even the steering wheel was made from carrots and waste material. Maybe F1 teams could cut costs by saving up all the waste from the catering and turn in to spare parts - there's an idea for Max Mosley!
In all seriousness, though, that is the great thing about the Goodwood Festival of Speed - variety and quality and some of the best cars, bikes, driver and riders in the world across all genres. It is a fabulous weekend for anyone with an interest in motorsport pre-war, post-war or present day. And if you have never been before or haven't been for a while, then mark it in the diary for 2010.

Team owner Frank Williams celebrated 40 years in F1 at Goodwood

F1 Teams Association walks out of FIA meeting

The eight members of the Formula 1 Teams Association (Fota) walked out of a meeting with the sport's governing body, the FIA, on Wednesday.
The meeting, at Germany's Nurburgring, was held to discuss next year's rules and Fota's proposed changes to them.
But the Fota teams left when told they had not entered the 2010 championship and therefore had no voting rights on technical and sporting regulations.
A Fota statement said the row "puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy".
It is the latest incident in a bitter, long-running argument between Fota and the FIA over planned budgetary and technical changes which has threatened to tear the sport apart.
The eight Fota teams - Ferrari, McLaren, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP - insist they have entered the 2010 championship.

"It will be remembered all eight active Fota members were included on the 'accepted' entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on 24 June," said Fota.
The association added that because it was now being claimed they had not entered, they had "requested a postponement of today's meetings".
Fota continued: "This was rejected on the grounds no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.
"However, it is clear to the Fota teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.
"As endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June 'the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April, 2009'.
"At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed.
"To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy.

"As a result of these statements, the Fota representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.
"The Fota members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula 1."
The FIA insisted in a statement of its own that it had wanted to discuss proposals for 2010.
The FIA added: "Unfortunately, no discussion was possible because Fota walked out of the meeting."
The long-running row between Fota and the FIA appeared to have been resolved in June, when an agreement was reached between F1's governing body and the Fota teams to prevent a breakaway series.
Under the terms of that deal a proposed budget cap was postponed and the teams won significant concessions on rule changes and the governance of the sport, while Max Mosley agreed not to stand for re-election as president of the FIA.
Wednesday's truncated meeting was attended by Williams and Force India, who are suspended from Fota after applying for unconditional entries to race in 2010 at the height of the budget cap crisis.
Formula 1's three new teams, Campos Grand Prix, Manor and US F1, also attended the meeting at the Nurburgring ahead of Sunday's German Grand Prix.

F1 teams drop breakaway bombshell

Formula 1 has been thrown into chaos after eight of its major teams said they are now planning to set up a rival championship for the 2010 season.
The threat by members of the F1 Teams Association (Fota) escalates their row with world motorsport boss Max Mosley over his budget cap proposals.
"The teams have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 F1 Championship," said the teams.
"We've no alternative than to commence preparation for a new championship."
Mosley was insistent on introducing a voluntary £40m budget cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1.
But Fota refused to agree to his conditions, prompting championship leader Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso to take their drastic action.
They announced their decision following a four-hour meeting on Thursday night ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
"Since the formation of Fota last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone), to develop and improve the sport," read a Fota statement.
"Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community.
"Fota is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport.
"In particular, the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the Fota initiatives.
The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship
Fota statement
"The Fota teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future.
"Following these efforts, all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012.
"The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide Fota.
"The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006.
"Despite this, and the uncompromising environment, Fota has genuinely sought compromise.
"It has become clear, however, the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship."
Fota added that its championship would put F1 fans first and boast the best drivers and sponsors.
"This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders," added the statement.

"The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."
Former champions Williams and Force India have already committed unconditionally to the FIA's world championship along with three new entrants - Campos, US F1 and Manor.
The FIA has said there are other would-be newcomers waiting to take the places of those teams that refused to enter unconditionally, although one, Lola, has already withdrawn its application.
The stage is also set for a legal battle, with the FIA saying champions Ferrari and the two Red Bull teams have existing contracts which commit them to the existing championship.
The FIA had set a Friday deadline for five teams - Brawn, BMW-Sauber, McLaren, Renault and Toyota - to convert their provisional entries into unconditional ones or risk being excluded.
There was no immediate comment from the FIA or Ecclestone.

James Allen's Turkish GP verdict

The Turkish Grand Prix was another tale of perfect execution by Jenson Button and Brawn, and missed opportunities for Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull – although Button’s relentless pace underlined the fact that the Brawn remains F1’s benchmark car.

James Allen analyses Button’s flawless drive, Vettel’s first-lap mistake, the nicely simmering rivalry between the Red Bull drivers, and the shuffling of the chasing pack.This was a race which may come to symbolise the 2009 season.

Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber were quick, but Jenson Button had every base covered and won with a comfortable margin. Meanwhile luck didn’t run Rubens Barrichello’s way.
This was a track that, with some fast corners, should on paper have given Red Bull a chance – but instead it was the Brawn that was the class of the field.
Button now has more than double the number of points of his nearest non-Brawn challenger, Vettel (61 to 29).
Vettel started on pole position but made a mistake on the opening lap, which allowed Button to pass him and sail off to victory.
He has made a few mistakes this season, like the accident at Monaco, but he has nevertheless really made his name and shown his speed.
With experience he will undoubtedly mature. Button in contrast has hardly made any mistakes.
After that crucial error, the Red Bull team kept Vettel on a three-stop strategy compared to the two-stop plans of Button and Webber.
Vettel caught Button in the second stint, thanks to his lighter fuel load, but couldn’t get through.
He was unable to use the light fuel loads in the second and third stints and lost time as a result against Webber, who leapfrogged him at the second stops.
That’s twice he’s done that now, after Spain last month.
Vettel said afterwards that he thought they would change him to a two-stopper.
It was a bit like what happened between the two Brawn cars in Barcelona, except that in this case Vettel gave away the initiative by making a mistake.

At the end, with Vettel catching Webber in the closing stages, the team sent a coded message, “Mark is faster” – which he wasn’t at the time – and that meant that they had to hold station.
It is worth remembering that the pair set almost identical lap times in qualifying, so Webber was very much a match for Vettel once again this weekend.
After a strong start to the season for Vettel, while Webber was recovering from his broken leg and shoulder, Webber seems recently to have got the measure of him.
Fair play to the Aussie: A lot of people were all prepared to write him off in comparison with his exciting young team mate, but he’s fighting back.
This will make things interesting in Silverstone, where the Red Bull should have another chance to get ahead of Brawn with the many high-speed corners.
Webber was mighty in qualifying there last year, sticking the car on the front row of the grid. Vettel will have to be right on his game to beat him.
Toyota will be delighted to get back towards the front of the grid and silence the critics, with a fourth place for Jarno Trulli after a dire Monaco weekend.
Trulli put in a great drive, losing ground to Nico Rosberg at the first pit stops but regaining the place next time around.
Rosberg had his worst qualifying performance of the year but turned it into his best result of season, thanks to a great start, where he went from ninth to fourth in the opening stint.
Kazuki Nakajima was very unlucky. He got as high as fourth by running long on the opening stint and was set for seventh place.

But then at his second stop a wheel change problem cost him loads of time and he dropped out of contention, down to 12th at the finish.
It was a good day for Williams, who were comfortably faster than the Ferraris and a match for the Toyota.
It was a bit like the beginning of the season, where Brawn, Toyota, Williams and Red Bull are the quicker cars and the rest are behind.
BMW were back on song in this race, after not a great qualifying session.
Robert Kubica finished seventh and the car looks like it’s now about half a second a lap slower than the pace setters. They have been miles off at times recently.
This shows how much of a gain it is possible to make in one step and we could perhaps see that among the front-runners at some point soon.
Ferrari made a good step before Spain and Monaco, but lost the momentum this weekend.

The British Grand Prix is next. Jenson Button has always received a fantastic reception at Silverstone, whatever the competitiveness of the car he’s had that year.
Naturally he will be cheered to the rafters and it should be a fantastic occasion.

The Turkish Grand Prix Preview

This weekend’s race round Turkey’s Istanbul Park Circuit could show the direction in which the world championship battle will go over the next few Grands Prix. The unusual track, which runs anti-clockwise, places a premium on aerodynamic performance and that is bound to favour the Brawns.However, it could also finally show us the true potential of Red Bull’s RB5, now boasting its own trick diffuser. And don’t discount Ferrari, the team on the rise and winners here the last three years…This weekend’s race round Turkey’s Istanbul Park Circuit could show the direction in which the world championship battle will go over the next few Grands Prix.

The unusual track, which runs anti-clockwise, places a premium on aerodynamic performance and that is bound to favour the Brawns, which demonstrated convincingly in Barcelona, another aero venue, that they are still highly effective even though everybody else now has similar multi-tier diffusers. Istanbul Park Circuit undulates over its 5.338 kilometre (3.316 mile) lap length.

For 2009 the back of the apex kerbs in Turns Nine and 12 have been graded to prevent a car from launching. Speed bumps, similar to Turn Two in Barcelona, have been installed behind the apex of Turn 10. And additional conveyor belts have been added mid-way through the tyre barriers at Turns One, Seven, Nine and 12. The track is best known for the challenge presented by Turn Eight, a triple-apex left-hander that seems to go on and on. It is taken around 250 km/h generates arguably the highest G-forces drivers see over the season. Elsewhere, speeds reach 320 km/h and track temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius have been seen. It is thus as much a challenge for the drivers and cars as it is the engineers, who have to set them up, and the tyre manufacturer.

Bridgestone have brought their hard and soft compounds here, which are very different, and the harder tyre in particular could have engineers scratching their heads on set-ups. This could be the first race at which we really see the potential of Red Bull’s RB5.

Adrian Newey’s latest weapon has been very close to the Brawns all season even without a trick diffuser, but team boss Christian Horner believes its race performances in both Bahrain and Barcelona were disguised because Sebastian Vettel got trapped behind cars with KERS (Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren and Felipe Massa’s Ferrari respectively). Since Monaco the car has a two-tier diffuser, and this weekend will be the first time that the car will get to stretch its legs in this guise. With some more minor aero tweaks, expect it to fly.

Likewise, the Ferraris will be strong here, and the team are feeling buoyed after their competitive performances in Spain and Monaco. Felipe Massa has been unbeatable here for the last three years, and is raring to make it four in a row. “We will have another small step in terms of aerodynamic development, which should improve the car still further, and that is down to a big push from the guys in the factory," he reports. "We want to continue to improve as quickly as possible, to try and win some races. If will be fantastic if we find we are in a position to fight for the win in Turkey."I just like the track and feel comfortable there, but it's hard to pinpoint why it suits me better than some other circuits. I do prefer fast flowing tracks and have a feel for all the corners here, as it's not good enough to only be fast over one particular section of the track. I think I've also found a good way to set up the car perfectly for this circuit.

"BMW Sauber will be running a two-tier diffuser for the first time as part of an aero package that includes modified front wings, side bargeboards, rim shields and engine cover. Both they and Toyota have high hopes for this weekend and are desperate to wipe out memories of their troubled Monaco outings. Hamilton is also hopeful of a better time in the McLaren.“I love racing in Turkey,” he says. “It’s a real challenge because you need to attack the lap to get a good time, but you also need to be careful with your tyres - if you push too much, particularly through Turn Eight, then your tyres are going to suffer. It’s all about finding the perfect balance in practice and being disciplined in the race so you don’t overdo it. “I also love the fact that it’s a new circuit that has really captured the flavour of some of the older, classic tracks - it’s got a bit of everything and is fantastic to drive. Also, as it’s anti-clockwise, it gives your neck a bit of a workout, but you just need to make sure you’ve exercised the left side of your neck a little more than usual before getting in the car.”

However, though McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says that the MP4-24 will have some further upgrades, he does not expect Turkey to suit it as well as Monaco did. Championship leader Jenson Button starts favourite, though. He and Brawn team mate Rubens Barrichello will have a new front wing, other minor aero revisions, and modified rear suspension to play with this weekend on their BGP 001s."The Turkish Grand Prix is always a race that I look forward to as I really enjoy driving the Istanbul Park circuit and have been quite competitive there in the past,” Button says.

“Hermann Tilke did a great job with the layout of the track here and the changes in gradient are great fun and quite challenging. We've seen some excellent racing here, with good overtaking opportunities at Turns One and Three. “You can also pass down the hill into Turn Nine and at Turns 12 and 13 if you brake late enough and get it just right. Turn Eight is obviously the corner that everyone talks about and it's probably the longest that I've ever driven. It's quite high G-force, up to 5G for seven seconds, which puts a lot of stress on your neck. You have to be as smooth as possible through the triple apex and if you get it right and take it flat, then it is one of those corners where you exit with a huge smile having made up a lot of time."

View the highlights of the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix Here

Who is Will Stevens ?

The Story So Far

Having established himself at a World Championship level in karate as a black belt junior, Will turned his sporting attentions to kart racing in 2002. His introduction to karting came through a family friend and he immediately knew his long term ambitions would be in motor sport.
Will’s achievements throughout his karting career are virtually unparalleled. In taking 10 major National and International titles by the time he was 16 and having established himself as one of the leading karters in the World he made the transition to motor racing at the end of the 2008 season.
It was Will’s reputation in karts that led to the contract to join Honda Formula 1 Racing Team’s Driver Development Programme. This was signed in April 2008 and comprised a long term agreement to support Will through his racing career to his ultimate goal, F1. Honda’s subsequent decision to withdraw from F1 came as a complete surprise to everyone involved but the Brawn GP Team, which successfully emerged to take over the Honda F1 operation, are also continuing Will’s contract under their own driver programme (see the previous post on this here : http://f1-in-singapore.blogspot.com/2009/06/brawn-gp-continue-to-support-will.html).

The transition from karts to cars in not an easy one and the winter of 2008/9 was spent testing with his new team, Fortec Motorsport in the Formula Renault UK category, the top junior class in the UK and Europe. In addition, he gained experienced competing in the UK and Portugese Winter Series and the Toyota racing Series in New Zealand, taking 6 podiums in his first 17 races.
His objective for the 2009 Season is the Formula Renault UK Championship, the top junior category in the UK. The series is a notoriously difficult Championship to win, especially for a rookie in his first year, but one where many of the current F1 drivers learned their craft.

Now 17 years old, Will’s racing career is the key part of his life. His commitments to racing, testing and training mean that time is a valuable commodity. In addition, frequent visits to the Brawn GP headquarters and his Fortec racing team’s base mean that he spends a lot of time away from home. He commented, “I’ve always spent a lot of time away from home throughout my karting career and that has continued now that I’ve started in cars. I actually enjoy the travel and spending time with my team, most of my close friends come from racing, so I’m very lucky to be able spend a lot of my time doing what I love”.

When Will is not away, he spends his time training or playing golf. On his fitness regime he said, “I really enjoy my training sessions now, Martin and Dan at Pro-Performance have helped me enormously with my fitness and its also very enjoyable. I try to get to the gym most week days so my current fitness level is good, I aim to be fit enough for at least the next level of my career at any time, its critically important”.
Will only started playing golf seriously in 2008, “It’s a great way to relax”, he commented, adding “a lot of my friends are good golfers so my natural competitiveness means that I’m working hard on my game to catch them up!”
Will likes to spend his free time with his family, listening to music, on his computer, with the family dogs, Harvey, Buddy and Hugo or out in his road car. In between all of that he likes to make the most of his social life!

BRAWN GP CONTINUE TO SUPPORT WILL STEVENS

Following up on an article we published last year about Will stevens,
http://f1-in-singapore.blogspot.com/2008/04/honda-racing-f1-team-signs-will-stevens.html
The Brawn GP team has confirmed that they will continue to support Will Stevens on a long-term driver development programme.

The association continues Will’s previous relationship with the Honda Racing F1 Team and will provide the platform for him to develop the level of performance that is required to potentially become part of Brawn GP’s Formula One programme in the future. 17 year old Will is widely regarded as one of Britain’s top rising young motorsport stars.
Following a prodigious karting career, he is now competing in the Formula Renault UK Championship with Fortec Motorsport in his rookie year in single seater car racing.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer of Brawn GP, commented, “We are very pleased to be continuing our support of Will’s motorsport career and extending the relationship that he has had with the team since 2008. We look forward to working with Will and will be keeping a close eye on his developing motorsport career.”Commenting on today’s announcement, Will Stevens said, “I am extremely proud to be part of the Brawn GP team. What the team has achieved so far this season is incredible and the future looks very exciting. To have the opportunity to be a part of the team is amazing. I would like to thank Ross, Nick and Ron Meadows for their continued support and commitment to my future and I intend to ensure that their belief in me is rewarded”.

Then And Now.....

Read will Stevens Achievements here :http://f1-in-singapore.blogspot.com/2009/06/who-is-will-stevens.html

Jenson Button delighted with Monaco win.

Jenson Button rubbed shoulders with royalty following a regal performance around the streets of Monte-Carlo.
Button realised a boyhood dream with victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, after which he lived it up at the post-race ball hosted by Prince Albert.
Tagging along were his mum, dad and girlfriend Jessica Michibata, and a right royal time was had by all because, as Button remarked, "Monaco puts on a good show".
That is what the 29-year-old certainly did in taking his fifth win in six races this year to extend his championship lead to 16 points over Brawn GP team-mate Rubens Barrichello.
The Brazilian, whose 37th birthday was on Saturday, must be fed up with finishing second as it was the third time to Button this year and the fourth occasion in his 17 races at Monaco.
With a third of the season now gone, there appears no stopping the Brawn/Button machine, although he is loathe to look too far ahead.
When it was suggested to him people are commenting he cannot lose the championship, he replied: "Yeah, I know.
"I don't know how you can make that after six races. I've won five but you are sort of putting negative energy in there and saying it is mine to lose.
"I wouldn't put it like that. I am 16 points in the lead and I have more of an advantage than others to win the championship but it is all to play for.
"It is not mine to lose for sure. I am doing the best I can and, at the moment, that is good enough. We will see what happens over the next few races.
"I am just enjoying this moment, as the whole team should be. Every win is great but, for the whole team, everyone in Formula One, you want to win in Monaco and you want to win your home grand prix.
"In a way this is both for me."
That was reference to the fact his apartment is a short walk away from the eastern edge of the circuit at Portier, allowing him to put a different perspective on his triumph.
"Before the weekend I said this grand prix doesn't mean anything different to any other grand prix but we all know the truth," added Button.
"To win here is fantastic because this circuit is very different to anything else, with the last two laps the most enjoyable laps of my career I would say.
"I could just enjoy the moment. I had a big enough lead and I could just enjoy winning Monaco.
"It is something you always dream about as a kid. You watch it on television and you think it is an amazing spectacle.
"But actually driving in it and winning it is just fantastic. I am very happy, and with a one-two finish as well, it is exceptional.
"The performance of the team this year is definitely going to go down in history. It has been staggering."

Brawn GP Merchandise in Singapore !

Rejoice all !

To those who have not yet placed your orders for the Brawn GP New Team Merchandise, don't worry.

We have extended the deadline to the 2nd of June, but this is it after that. Availability is very scarce and stocks will fly off the shelves in no time.

I have heard from good sources in my supply chain that Henry LLoyd in the UK are struggling to fulfill orders

This level of excitement over an F1 team Merchandise hasn't been seen since many years.

So to those who have already ordered, many thanks, to the others, please hit that link below and order by Sunday.

http://www.1stformula1.com/BrawnGP.htm

Brawn Dominates Monaco Grand Prix

After achieving pole position on Saturday, Jenson led the race from the front to secure his fifth win of the 2009 Formula One season with team-mate Rubens Barrichello taking second place for the team's third one-two finish of the year. Rubens made an excellent start from third on the grid to take second place from Kimi Raikkonen before the first corner.

"I had a really good start on the option tyre and was able to get ahead of Kimi before the first corner which put me in a great position to challenge Jenson" said Rubens.

Both starting on the softer option tyre, Jenson and Rubens drove composed two-stop strategies, using the prime tyre for their second and third stints.

"Rubens had a great start to get ahead of Raikkonen and was showing excellent pace before his first set of rear tyres began to grain heavily as a result of following Jenson so closely" confirmed Ross Brawn regarding the first stint of the race.

Rubens put up a strong fight to hold off the Ferrari of Raikkonen and maintain his second position whilst Jenson took the chequered flag at the end of the 78-lap race for his first victory around the streets of Monte Carlo, a dream come true for the British driver. "Wow! Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is something that you dream about as a child and as a racing driver and the reality of taking that victory just feels awesome.

With Rubens taking a superb second place, a one-two finish for the Brawn-Mercedes team in Monaco is fantastic. The race felt like it went on forever and you feel that the barriers are getting closer and closer as the end of the race approaches. But for the last couple of laps, I was able to relax and really enjoy the moment. It's been an unbelievable day, capped with my impromptu sprint down the pit straight to the podium. I can tell you it's a very long way but it was amazing to get such a fantastic reception from the crowd and I hope the fans enjoyed what was a great race for the team. The car felt good today but we didn't have the best of starts to the weekend so it makes this victory even more of an achievement. For the team, for Mercedes-Benz and for my family who were here in Monaco watching the race this weekend, today has to be the high-point of what has been an exceptional season.

" After six rounds of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, Brawn GP leads the Constructors' Championship with 86 points with Jenson leading the Drivers' Championship with 51 points and Rubens in second place with 35 points.

"Fantastic drives from Jenson and Rubens, outstanding pit stops from the team and the performance of our Mercedes-Benz engine secured an amazing one-two victory for Brawn GP here in Monaco" declared Ross Brawn.

"The Monaco Grand Prix is an incredibly special race and to win here means so much to everyone here at the track, at the factory in Brackley and at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth. Special congratulations to Mercedes-Benz for supplying an engine that has now won three Grands Prix, a modern day record in Formula One."

Brawn GP - The complete story

Brawn GP Ltd is a Formula One motor racing team and constructor. It was formed on 6 March 2009 after it was confirmed that Ross Brawn, the ex-technical director of the Honda Racing F1 Team, had bought the team from Honda in the wake of the withdrawal from the sport of the Japanese marque in December 2008, and on 17 March 2009 the FIA officially agreed to the name change from Honda Racing F1 Team to Brawn GP. Although the team can be seen as a continuation of the Honda team, Brawn GP was considered by the FIA to be an entirely new entry, but the FIA agreed to waive the standard entry fee in recognition of the team's circumstances. The new team made its racing debut at the 2009 season-opening Australian Grand Prix on 28 March 2009, where they took pole position and 2nd place in qualifying. The team went on to win the top two positions in their debut Grand Prix race on 29 March 2009, with Jenson Button winning the race and Rubens Barrichello coming in second.
The team use Mercedes-Benz engines and its cars are driven by the ex-Honda partnership of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, which has lasted for 3 years. In the early part of the season, several other sponsors were signed, including Virgin, M I G Investments, Henri Lloyd and PerkinElmer.

Although Honda were thought to be the first team to run a KERS in 2008,Ross Brawn stated in an interview that due to the circumstances of the change in ownership the team did not have the time to develop the system yet. On 20 March it was confirmed that Brawn GP will be allocated the final pitlane slot, with Force India moving up one slot. Bernie Ecclestone suggested that this is due to the takeover involving a name change, saying that 'If it was called Honda... whatever was due to Honda, they would have got'. For this reason Brawn GP were initially assigned numbers 20 and 21 after Force India were assigned Honda's old numbers of 18 and 19. This however was changed at the request of Force India because their promotional material had already been printed with numbers 20 and 21. Brawn had no objection and were reassigned numbers 22 and 23, with 18 and 19 not assigned to anyone.

The team started off strongly on the Friday Practice of the Australian Grand Prix finishing in the top five.



In qualifying at Australia Jenson Button took pole with fellow teammate Rubens Barrichello coming 2nd followed by Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel. This was followed by a race win for Jenson Button, who led from start to finish, with Rubens Barrichello second giving Brawn a 1-2 finish on their debut, which had not happened since Mercedes did it in 1954.

Jenson Button won the rain-shortened Malaysian Grand Prix from pole and picked up the fastest lap. With the win in Malaysia, Brawn GP became the second constructor to win their first two races since Alfa Romeo won the first ever two World Championship Grands Prix at the 1950 British Grand Prix and Monaco Grand Prix.

At the 2009 Chinese Grand Prix Barrichello qualified in front of Button for the first time this season but in the rain Jenson Button finished 3rd with Rubens Barrichello 4th behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Button won again at the Bahrain Grand Prix from fourth on the grid with Barrichello in fifth from sixth. Button ran most of the race in clean air and maintained the lead after the Toyotas pitted and fell down the order. This was the first time they were slower, with the fuel corrected qualifying times, in the season and was blamed on the lack of development on the car.

At the 2009 Spanish Grand Prix, Brawn achieved their second 1-2 of the season with Button leading home Barrichello again.

Brawn BGP 001

Following Honda's withdrawal, development of the BGP 001 never stopped and on the day of its debut, Jenson Button performed its shakedown – the car featuring white, fluorescent yellow and black colours. The team gave the BGP 001 its first test at Circuit de Catalunya on 9 March 2009, topping the timesheets many times. With the testing moving to Circuito de Jerez, Brawn GP continued to set the pace, finishing the test leading two of the three tests. During an interview Brawn said there was more speed to come after he explained that '...The BGP 001 car is the result of 15 months of intensive development work and the team have been nothing less than fantastic in their commitment to producing two cars in time for the first race'.

At the first race an official complaint was launched by four teams against the rear diffusers of the Williams FW31, Toyota TF109 and the Brawn BGP 001 on the grounds that they did not fall within the dimensions set out in the regulations, but after analysing the cars the race stewards reported that the cars were legal. This ruling has been appealed, the appeal was heard after the second race of the season. However motorsport's governing body ruled that the car was legal. There was another complaint at Malaysia after which BMW Sauber joined the appeal after they were deemed legal, again. After the appeal the diffuser was deemed legal by the FIA. In Spain, the car received its first improvements since Australia and gave Brawn a 1-2, just as in Melbourne.

Sponsorship
The sponsors that were still with the Honda team stayed on as sponsors, including Bridgestone.
Through the early stages of the 2009 season Brawn has obtained various sponsor deals. On 26 March 2009, Brawn GP announced a partnership with British clothing manufacturer Henri Lloyd. The company will supply the team with clothing and footwear and their brand will appear on the BGP 001. On 28 March 2009 Sir Richard Branson announced Virgin as a major sponsor for the team. On April 17 Brawn announced an agreement with MIG Investments. They would sport the logo on the front of the car. It was also confirmed on April 19 that Ray-Ban, a sunglasses manufacturer, would carry on sponsoring the team - their logo appears on the drivers' helmets. At the 2009 Bahrain Grand Prix Virgin sported their Virgin Galactic logo instead of Virgin. They re-signed Endless Advance and NCE and signed a new supplier deal with safety harness supplier Willans before the Spanish Grand Prix. Only for the Spanish Grand Prix, Sony Pictures joined the team with the cars featuring promotional imagery from the upcoming film Terminator Salvation.

BRAWN GP PARTNER WITH TERMINATOR SALVATION AT SPANISH GRAND PRIX


In advance of the worldwide release of the highly anticipated motion picture Terminator Salvation, Brawn GP will join Sony Pictures Releasing International to feature imagery from the film on the team’s Formula One cars over the Spanish Grand Prix weekend. Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 21 May and globally from 27 May.

The Brawn-Mercedes cars of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello will carry the distinctive Terminator Salvation imagery on the rear wing throughout the Spanish Grand Prix weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The unique one-race sponsorship builds anticipation for the red-carpet European premiere of the film on 28 May in Paris, France.

The partnership reunites Sony Pictures Releasing International and Formula One following Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous appearance at the 2003 British Grand Prix to promote T3 Rise of the Machines.

Nick Fry, Chief Executive Officer of Brawn GP, said: “We are thrilled to be supporting Sony Pictures Releasing International with the launch of Terminator Salvation at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix. Our promotional partnership will see our race cars and our garage branded with the famous Terminator imagery as we help launch one of Hollywood’s biggest movies of the year to over 580 million Formula One viewers in over 90 countries. The Terminator brand promises exciting action and high drama as machines and human ingenuity battle for supremacy. It’s a perfect match for Brawn GP and Formula One.”

McG, Director of Terminator Salvation, added: “The Terminator franchise has a long standing relationship with Formula One and we are thrilled to be partnering with the Brawn GP team. Formula One represents the best of mechanical engineering and is a true trial of human spirit, themes that perfectly parallel Terminator Salvation.”

Sal Ladestro, Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Releasing International, said: “Formula One is one of the most popular sports in the world and there are no bigger stars right now than the Brawn GP team. With all eyes on Spain this weekend, we can think of no better partner to build anticipation for the international launch of Terminator Salvation than Brawn GP and the global sport of Formula One.”

Brawn's Jenson Button wins Bahrain Grand Prix

Brawn GP's Jenson Button won the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, giving the Briton his third win in the four Formula One races this year.
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was second, 7.1 seconds behind Button, and Toyota's Jarno Trulli, the polesitter, took third at the Sakhir circuit.
The result gives Button a 12-point lead in the drivers' championship, with a two-week break before the series heads to Europe.
"This race win for us is probably the best out of the lot, because we don't have a competitive edge," said Button, referring to his rival teams' recent improvement. "We are not as strong as we used to be and had to work doubly hard."
Defending champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth for McLaren, ahead of Brawn GP's Rubens Barrichello. Kimi Raikkonen finished sixth to give Ferrari its first points of the season, with Toyota's Timo Glock and Renault's Fernando Alonso seventh and eighth.
Button's key move was when he passed Hamilton at the start of the second lap, while Vettel got stuck behind the McLaren, which was slower through bends but hard to pass because of its KERS power-boost.
"That move really made the race for us," Button said.
Glock started on the outside of the front row and got the best of the start to lead Trulli in the early stages, and the Toyota teammates held that advantage until the first set of pit stops. However, Toyota's strategy to use the less-preferred medium-compound tire through the long second stint of the race gave a the advantage to Button, who effectively led from the 13th of 57 laps.

Button has 31 points from four races, putting him 12 points ahead of Barrichello. Brawn is well out front in the constructors' championship as well.
Ferrari's points avoided it going through the first four races of the season without a point for the first time in its F1 history.